FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Democrats in the U.S. Senate were poised to take a first step toward President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal, in a marathon "vote-a-rama" session aimed at overriding Republican opposition to the package. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news. EUROPE * Sweden plans to launch a digital coronavirus "vaccine passport" by summer if an international standard is in place. * Spain's Catalonia region has removed some restrictions, allowing gyms to reopen and people to move outside their municipalities.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate were poised to take a first step toward President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal, in a marathon "vote-a-rama" session aimed at overriding Republican opposition to the package.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.

EUROPE * Sweden plans to launch a digital coronavirus "vaccine passport" by summer if an international standard is in place.

* Spain's Catalonia region has removed some restrictions, allowing gyms to reopen and people to move outside their municipalities. * Norway will not offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to individuals over the age of 65, making it the latest European country to restrict its use.

* Half of Ukraine's 41 million population is not willing to be vaccinated, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said. ASIA-PACIFIC

* India will provide humanitarian assistance to Myanmar to fight the pandemic, as international pressure mounts against Myanmar's military leaders following a coup. * About 21.5% of India's 1.35 billion people may have been infected with COVID-19, according to government research.

* Malaysia's government expects to complete its immunisation programme by February 2022, covering 80% of its population. * The Australian Open will begin as scheduled on Monday even though a worker at a Melbourne hotel where players quarantine tested positive.

AMERICAS * New vaccination centres are due to open this month in the heart of two California communities hard hit by the coronavirus.

* Chicago schools have postponed in-person classes for thousands of students for another day after the district and teachers union failed to agree on a safety plan. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Qatar re-imposed restrictions on education, leisure and business activities, including closing indoor swimming pools and theme parks and reducing restaurant capacities. * China will send 150,000 doses of coronavrius vaccine to Syria as aid.

* Kuwait said it would suspend entry for non-citizens for two weeks from Feb. 7 after a rise in cases, while Saudi Arabia suspended entertainment activities and dine-in services at restaurants. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* British researchers will test mixing Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses in a bid find ways to swiftly reduce infections as new variants emerge. * Human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine combining a British shot from AstraZeneca and Oxford University with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine will begin next week in Azerbaijan and some Middle Eastern nations.

* Europe's drugs regulator said it had started sharing vaccine and treatment expertise with its counterparts in several countries, aiming to speed up regulatory processes around the world. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Stock markets fought for a fourth day of gains as a near one-year oil price high, a revitalised dollar and rising bond yields turned attention to inflation and normalising economies. * Spain's government announced the creation of a 100 million euro ($119.82 million) fund to support small and medium sized companies in the aerospace sector, which has been slammed by the pandemic.

* British new car registrations slumped to their lowest January level since 1970 as lockdown measures shut showrooms, an industry body said. * The Czech central bank saw substantial risks to its new staff economic forecast tilted in the direction of a longer-lasting pandemic.

(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Veronica Snoj; Editing by David Clarke and)